Testimonials

We went to Monika mostly for first dance choreography and some basic instruction on dancing together in general. She was such a patient and fun instructor, and helped us nail a somewhat unorthodox, fast song (cold water by Justin Bieber/major lazer) in just 5 lessons. She listened to us and changed things around when certain steps weren't working, and the end result was a dance we both had a blast performing at the wedding. All our guests loved it and said it was one of the highlights of the whole weekend. We would totally recommend Monika or use her again if we ever need more dance help!

- Kate and Mike

Monika is excellent at understanding what students want to get from her private lessons and tailoring lessons to fit those needs. She knows how to get beginners comfortable with basics and clearly takes teaching seriously; one thing that is very refreshing about working with her is she is not shy about ``assigning homework.`` She wants her students to grow and is invested in them. Highly recommend!

- Renato

We reached out to Monika super last minute and she was so accommodating to our schedule (she came to our apartment at 8:30 on a Sunday evening). Then, she totally impressed us by helping us through our first dance (and we picked an unusual country song) and made us feel comfortable and excited about it. I would recommend her in a heartbeat and we are thinking about continuing lessons after the wedding to keep improving our dance skills! THANK YOU, Monika!

- Kristin

Hi Monika,
I enjoyed the classes I’ve had with you, I can’t believe it’s over already!
I’ve always felt awkward during parties because when dancing came I always felt I didn’t have the beat in me… You broke everything down to very simple steps and gradually progressed things that I couldn’t even believe myself that I can dance in a couple of weeks. It was a very non-threatening environment (which is specially helpful to someone who didn’t have confidence about these things). A couple of lessons later, I was already dancing in parties.
More than the dancing, and the confidence, thanks for making the class enjoyable, pleasurable and relaxing that it made the class something I look forward to every single week!
I wish you all the best.

- Francis

Dear Monika,
Thank you so much for helping to make our first dance such a hit. Our guests went crazy when they saw us break into a routine.
We are so glad that we found you. We wanted to create a routine to Michael Jackson’s PYT and tried to teach ourselves since we have some basic moves on the dance floor, but we had trouble learning MJ moves. After taking 5 hours of classes with you, we felt like we had the moves down and felt much more comfortable performing in front of our family and friends.
You were such a great teacher. You broke down the moves into small parts to make it easier for us to learn and you created a routine based on our skill levels. We had a lot of fun in our lessons and would recommend you to anyone looking for a private lesson. Thank you for everything!

- Anishah and Karim

I’m a person who enjoys dancing at clubs and had no issues when it came to the act of dancing at such places being that most of the people were too focused on themselves or were too tipsy to care. But I was also self-aware that I really had no idea what I was doing and my movements were at best, enthusiastically random. And this is where Monika was really helpful.
At the very beginning she gets an idea of what your basic level of dance is. Can you carry a rhythm? Can you attenuate with the music? Can you make minor adjustments to your moves for variety. Can you identify changes in the tempo and recognize that certain beats require sharp movements and other smooth movements? These are all things that Monika will begin to flesh out and explain to you as they are essential to learning how to dance hip hop.
You will also work on a lot of coordination and be doing separate movements with different parts of your body that will probably feel awkward at first, but Monika does a good job of breaking it down so that the moves are simple to understand and will get better with practice.
The fact that Monika is a professionally trained dancer definitely shows in her ability to explain the movements and to execute the movements that she teaches you (man if only I could isolate and wave like she could….) She’s also a very patient teacher, and is happy to answer any of your questions, but she’ll also yell at you (nicely) if you “forget” to practice at home.
I’ve taken over 20 lessons with her so far and have developed a good foundation for the elements of hip-hop. I can wave, glide, pop and use them with each other in variety of different beats. Of course all those elements could use some fine tuning from me, but the difference in how they looked when I started is like night and day.
I’m 100% positive that you’ll be happy with Monika as your instructor, and with some practice on your side you’ll be out impressing your friends in no time.

- Ted

Monika, you are an amazing dance instructor! Honestly, I planned on taking your class for maybe a month or so in order to learn some basics and feel less awkward on the dance floor, but since then I have gotten hooked and each time I learn something new and feel more confident about my own dancing abilities (and it’s been over 6 months!). I believe that there is no substitute for one-on-one dance classes.
I feel that anyone can learn to dance with your teaching style because–even though you’re an amazing dancer—you don’t just let others copy your moves; instead you give us the tools in order to dance like ourselves. I must say, it is an investment that lasts a lifetime plus it’s a lot of fun. Thanks again and see you in class!

- Danielle

I had taken several beginner dance classes at studios, but always had a hard time keeping up and understanding the movement. Unfortunately, I never got much out of these classes, and always left discouraged.
The first class I took with Monika was completely different. She is able to break down every movement and move at the individual pace and comfort level of each student. Her teaching method is extremely comprehensive, encouraging, and above all fun! I am thrilled with the progress I’ve seen in just a couple of months, mostly with the comfort I now feel in my own movement.
When I leave her class, I am excited to return for the next one. Monika is incredibly skilled, as a teacher and dancer, and she instills in you the same love she feels for movement and dance.

- Sara

Dear Monika,
Just wanted to let you know, how proud I am after finishing my first package with you. You see, the reason why I chose your class is I can’t dance with my friends when we go to club, my arms, legs and body can’t cooperate to each other, it’s really embarrassing. I also don’t think those public dance classes can help me; they most likely teach you those professional dances. Luckily I found your class on craigslist.
First, I want to thank you for making me have so much fun in your class. Thank you for those nice words whenever I made tiny progress. I always feel time flies so fast in your class. Before class, I felt so tired after day’s hard work. After I finish class, my body becomes fresh again, that’s a very good feeling!
As I continue with my private and group classes, I can tell my body’s change, now my leg and arm are much easier to cooperate with each other, my body’s already memorized most of steps you taught me and dance becomes second nature. Also I have lots of fun in group class. Not only you can get some new friends, but also you can realize you are not alone, there are also other people on the same level and you can improve together. I also want thank you for feedback you send me after each private class – it is very helpful. Thank you for your hard work! See you soon!

- Min

Dear Monika,
I just wanted to thank you for your classes. I hate going to parties and standing on the sidelines because of not knowing how to dance. Since I know I don’t have natural coordination I have shied away from lessons. I couldn’t have asked for a more patient and better teacher than you. Even when you need to repeat information you maintain an even tone. And you clearly explain how basic steps are coordinated with the beat of the music. I feel so much more confident moving my body to the music now. I couldn’t have made this progress without you. Thanks so much!

- Nigel

Monika,
I only had the chance to take a handful of classes with you before I left NYC, but the lessons were better than I ever hoped for. These classes really are for people who are absolute beginners. Unlike other beginner classes which either are way more advanced than what a beginner can take OR you just learn how to do a move without any actual training in doing it right… Monika teaches you the basics of how to move. Thank you Monika! Wish you would move to Boston!

- Ari

I was apprehensive about taking a private lesson and was wondering if Monika could really help me to dance. She not only matched my expectations, but exceeded it as well.
She is an extremely patient teacher who makes dance easy and fun to learn. She has a good eye to identify the aspects of dancing that a person needs to work on. If you have two left feet, I would highly recommend you to take her private classes for a start. Her private classes take you away from the crowd and help you learn in a stress free environment and learn at your own pace instead of being overwhelmed by the crowd. Thanks Monika for accommodating and structuring the classes according to my skill level and schedule.

- Patrick

Really good - Monika is excellent at breaking things down and steadily and patiently teaching. I'm honestly amazed at the progress I've made over the last few weeks.

- Mihir

Monika is an excellent teacher who knows so many different dance styles. She's very good at motivating and provides excellent instruction. It makes learning fun.

- Mark

Stress-free, very accommodating, highly recommended! I was looking for a private dance class. I'm not a dancer, in fact I was always self conscious about dancing in public. I'm also very busy so ideally, I'd like to meet for class at my office. I came across Monika's site, and what appealed to me was that she seemed to understand that some people are just too embarrassed to learn dancing with others, so she offers private sessions. I signed up for a package of 10 classes. It was a very stress free positive experience and I plan on taking more classes with Monika. I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to overcome their fear of dancing in public!

- Anthony

Hi Monika,
I have no words to thank you! The way you accept and push forward, the motivation you give, the warmth and kindness all together, the best teacher I ever had! Thank you for everything

- Neal

Monika is so awesome! She is very good at breaking things down and is very patient with someone with two left feet. I'm glad I came across this dance school and intend to be back =o)